Fake Contact Lenses

Counterfeit products are no longer limited to health products, IT gadgets and branded goods, now even contact lenses are not spared. What is scary is that it is legitimate shops knowingly selling such products.

In recent years, in an attempt to cut costs and earn more profit, people have devised ingenious yet harmful products. From highly sought after IT gadgets (i.e. Apple iPhone), branded goods, all the way down to daily necessities (i.e. milk, eggs) and children’s toys. There’s just about a counterfeit for almost everything available in the (black) market.

Now there are even counterfeit contact lenses, which are harmful to the eyes. For the first time in Singapore, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has confiscated over 100 boxes of counterfeit colored contact lenses from legitimate suppliers, such as licensed optical shops. The confiscated boxes of counterfeit lenses were obtained after raiding five optical shops across the island. Currently, more than 10 people are also being questioned in connection to the case.

It was reported that the counterfeit contact lenses were fraudulently labeled as “FreshLook ColorBlends” Contact Lenses from CIBA VISION. These counterfeits were found to be unsafe and of poor quality: the solution in which the lenses are packed were tested and determined to have been contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a harmful bacteria known to cause serious eye infections. The packaging for the counterfeits looks almost authentic, apart from typographical errors on the packaging. A closer look on how to spot the counterfeits here

To date, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has reported that one anonymous consumer, who is in her 30s, removed the lenses immediately when she could not close her eyes after wearing them.

According to CIBA VISION, this is...Read more >>